The document analyzes and summarizes the key design elements of magazine covers, including the masthead, cover images, headlines, barcode placement, mode of address, and cover lines. Several magazine covers are examined in detail, noting conventions used and potential meanings conveyed through visual design choices. Key aspects like prominent images and headlines, font sizes, and informal language are discussed in relation to attracting readers and setting tone.

1. Magazine Analysis

2. Masthead ‘Smash hits’ masthead is very bold and bright. The actual text has an outline around it. As the font is very big it stands out easily so the reader is able to see, but some of it is covered by the image but not a lot so its still easy to read. Headline The main headline on this magazine is the ‘Shayne x factor’ this is the main focus point for the readers as this is what their attention will be attached too, also it relates back to the picture as the picture used is connected to the headline. The font is very big and bold with the same outline as the masthead. The colours are quiet appealing and will catch the readers eyes. Barcode The bar code is placed at the bottom of the magazine this shows it isn’t the most important thing on the magazine but it is still there. Just on top of the barcode is the price and website enabling the audience to use the website if they want to. Cover Image The cover image is quite big and noticeable for the reader. The picture is quiet cheesy and his smile is cheeky, this could relate back to the cover lines about his girlfriend rumours. He looks very confident in himself in the picture in a suite and hat which may suggest the stories may be interesting and his truth about his girlfriend may be very open. Mode of Address The mode of address for this magazine is informal, you tell this by many things. One main thing is that the magazine is showing ‘private’ photos of Mcfly’s day out which could suggest that the magazine is on a personal level with the audience and that they are able to share many things the reader will understand. Cover lines The cover lines of this magazine follow the convention of how they are set out, meaning the cover lines are smaller than the masthead which is important as the magazine is trying to show that these aren't as important but are still there to grab the readers attention. This is done through the use of still using big bold font and colours to make them stand out.

3. Masthead Top of the pops also follows the main convention of having the mast head at the top. This may be because it is easier to read and one of the first things you see. The title is the same as smash hits with it being in bright bold colours to stand out but also having the outline around the text. Barcode The barcode in this picture is on the side of the magazine, this is different to most magazines where the barcode is at the bottom of the magazine as it draws the attention away from it, but this barcode is quite noticeable which is what they might be going for. Headline The main headline that stands out on this magazine is the ‘Out of control’ one. This is because it is bang in the middle of the page so it’s the most noticeable headline out of all of them, but also the headline relates to the cover pictures of four different celebrities, which when the reader see this it catches their attention to read it. Cover Image The cover image of this magazine seems to take up quite a lot of the front page, which is good as its big and bold which also matches the headline to go with it. This time with this magazine the image includes more than one person in it, this makes it more noticeable to the reader. This may also grab their attention as the picture is quite cheesy but may make the reader want to read more inside because it includes more than one story on more than one person. Mode of Address The mode of address of this magazine is informal by the kind of language and pictures used on the front cover. This magazine could relate to more a teenage range by things it includes for example ‘I've dated 11 girls’. Also you can tell its informal by the words like ‘Bizarre',' Cringes’, ‘Snog’ this could suggest the magazine is able to be on that sort of level with the readers were their able to use slang they know readers will be able to understand. Cover lines The cover lines on this magazine are also following the conventions as they have made them smaller than the actual masthead, but have also put the cover lines in different font sizes to make them stand out more to the reader. Also by putting them in all different colours its more attractive to the reader.

4. Masthead The masthead of this magazine is very big and bold. The magazine has chosen to use a bright block colour to make it stand out as the main thing on the magazine. Even though they have chose to put the cover image covering some of the masthead it is still obvious and clear to the audience what this says which is cleverly done by using sans serif and making it really big. They have also chose to include a cover line and put it on top of the masthead as they might be trying to advertise that the cover line is just as important as the masthead. Barcode The barcode on this magazine is placed at the bottom left hand corner. By doing this the magazine is trying to tell the reader that it isn’t the most important thing on the magazine but its still there. They have put the date and website at either side of the barcode this is suggesting to the reader that if they want any extra information then they are able to use them but also by putting them in different colours the reader is able to notice them as well. Cover Image The cover image of this magazine is clearly one of the biggest things they want the reader to look at. They have cleverly done this by putting a medium shot of Janet Jackson right in the middle of the magazine and then everything else around her. This could suggest to the reader that she is the centre of attention for this magazine and that’s what they want the readers to be looking at. By putting the image right in the middle the magazine company are showing that they are also using the rule of thirds as the picture helps to split the front cover into three sections. Headline The main headline on this magazine is the ‘Janet Jackson likes to watch’, the main reason of why this may be the main headline is that it relates to the picture of her, so when the readers see the picture they automatically know she’s the most important thing in the magazine and her stories the most important as well. This is made clear by the use of bold and bright colours and the way its stands out so much better than the other headlines. Mode of Address The mode of address of this magazine is informal, this is cleverly shown through the use of words used on the front cover, things like ‘Exposed’ and ‘Shawty’ etc, this can suggest the kind of target audience that they aim for which is probably a young group who will understand the kinds of words used. Cover lines The cover lines on this magazine are very basic. They have used the same colours for the writing as what they have used for the whole magazine which is good as this will stand out to the reader as the colours are very bright and eye catching. They have also followed the conventions by making the cover lines smaller than the masthead.

5. Main Image The main image is of the boy band Westlife, the magazine has thought well about using these as their main image as they represent the genre of the magazine by being a pop band. By also using a boy pop band this can attract a more female audience to the magazine because they will want to read about them. On the picture all the boys are pulling a casual pose, dressed smartly in the same clothes this can suggest to the audience their friendship and bond with one another. Features/Pages The features of the magazine ignore the normal conventions as it is placed at the bottom of the page were as normally it will be placed on the left or right hand side of the page. This could send the message to the readers that this magazine is trying to be unique by changing the layout and not following the normal convention of the rule of thirds, its suggesting they are trying to be different. Other Images The magazine has chose to display other images in the background this could suggest to the reader that these pages might not be as important as the big image but still important to take a look at, as these pages have been separated from the contents at the bottom so this could suggest to the reader they are interesting to read. Also the magazine has cleverly decided to use pictures which relates to the stories on the front cover, so in a way they are sort of enhancing these stories more. Other features This magazine page has also decided to use some other conventions of magazines things like a ‘PUG’ a pug is the cirlcle below the pictures at the top, some magazines tend to use these to enhance one main thing. On this magazine they have used it for a competition, and have made it stand out from other things by the bright colours for the circle but also the ‘win’ is in a big font and is white so it stands out well to the reader on the red background. Another feature is the note at the top of the page from the magazine team, the way they have made it look like its been ripped off a notepad and also how the way they have wrote it makes it look like they are trying to talk to the readers as it they were their friends more than just the readers which is good as the readers may feel they are on a more personal basis with the magazine.

6. Images TOTP haven’t chosen to use one big main image instead they have chosen to put their front cover picture on the inside and indicate what pages all the main stories are on. This is clever as they know readers are mostly interested on the top stories on the front cover so by doing this its helping the readers to find things easier. They have also chosen to use two pictures at the bottom which relate to the columns with different stories in for example in the ‘we love shopping’ column there is a bag underneath so they have tried too relate all their images. Main Heading TOTP haven’t chosen to call it their contents page even though all the readers will know what it is from the format they have decided to put ‘inside the mag’ this to the readers might be a bit more intriguing than just contents as they have also shortened the word magazine to mag which is referring to the sort of wording the age of group of this magazine might say. But its also suggesting that this magazine might prefer to be unique and different to others. Format The format of this contents page is very different to many as they haven’t chosen to go with the convention of a normal contents were its just down the one side but instead they have made this the main attraction for the readers by spreading it out all over the page with different headings on each box. This could be easier for the readers to understand as if they need to find a certain thing then they might find it under a certain heading so in a way by doing this it has broken it down in a easier way for the readers to understand. Other features This magazine has used many different features on their contents page one is how they have split up all their headings and made it into a fancy bold font and added little emotions in it too like hearts this indicates who their kind of target audience is which is young teenagers who themselves might use icons like that when texting for exmaple. Also another feature is how they have put certain important page numbers bigger then others which suggests they should read them. Lastly one other feature is how they have highlighted certain page descriptions this could indicate to the readers that they are interesting and important and they should be looked at as they have highlighted them.

7. Main Image The main image of this contents page is very unique. They have decided not too use many images on the page just one main big one which follows the conventions of the front cover of vibe too with just one main image for the reader to look at. The girl in the picture seems to also be pulling a unique pose, by lying on the ground with legs up in the air, this could suggest to the readers that she is different and that the magazine is different. Also by using a young women and putting her in little clothing it is attracting the sort of age range this magazine goes for which is a sort of teenager upwards group, but also the male gender as well. They have also cleverly put her in the same colour clothing as the background image so she blends in well but so things like her legs stand out more. Features/Pages Vibe magazine has cleverly put headings on everything needed which makes it easy for the readers to find everything without looking hard. They have made the headings in a fancy bold font so it stands out from the rest but it also doesn’t follow vibes convention of the big block writing. The background and writing to this page are very basic with the background being a 2 tone colour and plain colours used throughout is what they might be aiming for because it doesn’t take the attention away from the main image, but still isn’t that boring that it doesn’t make you want to read it. Main heading The main heading is the ‘contents’ normally the convention of this in magazines is the heading will probably go across or down the page. Vibe have chosen to go against this and jumble there heading up but made it a lot bigger so it stands out straight away when readers see it as one of the focus points. Also by doing this it could be suggesting to the audience that they prefer to be different and do things their own way. They have clearly wanted the audience to notice this as they have used big block font and made it white so its stands out well on a black background.

8. Main Heading The main heading on this double page spread is probably the first thing that will catch the readers eye, this is most likely what the magazine is probably going for. They have chose to make the heading look as unusual as possible which is what they might want their magazine to come across as ‘unique’ but also by using this weird font to make it all look like separate letters its grabs the readers attention into reading it straight away and to read the article as well. Image There is only one image used on this double page spread which is good as they have made it the main focus point for the readers too look at which is what they are aiming for. Straight away they will see this photo as lily Allen is pulling quite an unusual pose which makes her look interesting and make the page look more interesting as there isn't much colours. But also by making her pull and unusual pose it is making her stand out more which might make the readers want too look more into the article as it might be interesting. Also they haven’t chosen to place any text over the picture which may suggest its important and needs too be seen how it is. Text The text is very plain and boring to the magazine which is good as the main heading and the picture now seem too stand out more because of it. The way they have chosen to put the text into sort of blocks makes it a bit more different but also breaks the information up easier for the readers to read, which may attract them too read the article more as the information isn’t all blocked into one. They haven’t chosen to use many colours in their font but only a red colour on her name, which makes it stand out which tells the readers she’s important.

9. Images TOTP magazine have chose to use their images in a different way. By using more than one image it is guaranteed to grab the readers attention when they turn the page, firstly by the big picture in the middle. By putting the big picture in the middle it makes it stand out from the rest of the page around it as the picture and text ratio is about 50/50 so by spreading it out equally its making it appeal more to the readers. Secondly in both his poses he is giving direct eye contact to the reader so the reader is able to emphasise through the eye contact as they will feel more for the story they are reading which is what the magazine wants. In his photo on the side his is pulling a casual ‘school boy’ look which may be suggesting to the readers that his an ordinary boy. Headline TOTP magazine have made the way they show their headline different as they have chose to put it right in the middle of the double page spread which is good as when the readers are flicking through the magazine they want something to catch their eye and something to make them want to read it. TOTP have cleverly done this by putting it by the big image so both are able to stand out. In the main headline they have chosen to use serif font in different colours. By putting it in different colours its making it more eye catching and more interesting to look at and read. The way they have highlight the word bullied is suggesting to the readers that this is the main line of what the article is going to be about, by highlighting a words like that its making the readers create sympathy towards him. Text The article itself is a sort of interview anyway so that already is a bonus point into why they might read it, another point is that they have chose to use different coloured fonts for the questions and answers but it goes with the colour scheme of blue and black so it makes the text look effective. Lastly they have made the text look less by splitting it up into paragraphs but also showing that the text isn’t the main focus point but the picture is as they decided to use text wrap around the picture to make sure the readers know the image is still the main focus point. Other features One other feature they have chose to put in is the help and advice box in the corner the magazine are trying to emphasise the story and then highlight the help they are able to get. They have cleverly done this by making the box into two bold colours which compliment the text colour in order to make it stand out.

10. Images This magazine has chose to use more pictures than text on the magazine. They have thought about how to grab a readers attention. As this magazine is for the TA of young teenage or just below girls they know that a lot of the time they are interested in seeing pictures instead of reading things. By putting the big image in the middle its made it clear to the readers what the article is about, they have done this buy using a serif font with just an outline of a white font, by doing this it is making the heading stand out a lot more on the image. The magazine have chose to put images all around the magazine all connecting with the same article but they are all different images. This makes it more interesting to the reader when they see it as they have a lot too look at and can find things out about the article from the pictures. The way they have set out the images is in a sort of collage which is more arty and unique. Main heading The main heading as I have already stated is in a serif font which is common in magazines, but they have tried to make it more unique by putting it in the middle of the main image so it stands out more. They have also chosen not to put a block colour instead but keep it really basic with just a white outline. Although it may seem basic to the reader its more attractive as its white on a dark background and it stands out well and will be one of the things the readers look at first. Other features Smash hits have decided to put their logo at the top corner of the page, which to the readers isn’t nothing special but its making the magazine name stand out front the rest. They have also decided to add a PUG on one of the pictures indicating a sort of competition winner. By adding a pug and putting it in a bold pink colour it attracts the readers eye to it and makes them want to know what it is. Also in the corner there is a competition so by them putting it here its then leading the readers onto another thing included into the magazine so its making them read more. Text The magazine on this DPS haven’t really decided to use more text and the text to image ratio is very little. Instead what they have done is put a block of text on the one side but even though its in a block there is still only little text so the reader wont loose interest. But what they have also done is split the text up onto the images and used it as captions instead , which is clever as they know by doing this the readers wont get bored of reading all the block text and become uninterested.